the ASA focus Spring 2012 Northwestern

University

Africa Awareness Month |Africafé | Updates | Meet the Board | What’s Ahead |

Africa Awareness Month: The Rise of African Youth

This April the African Students Association presented Africa Awareness Month: The Rise of African Youth. During the month we celebrated the voice and power of African youth with a programming revolving around activism, philan-thropy, culture, and community. April 9, 2012 ASA joined with NUCHR, Peace Project, NCDC, Inspire Media, and North-western STAND to produce a Film and Lecture called The KONY Effect: Activism and the Power of Social Media, inspired by the national reaction to Invisible Children’s viral Kony 2012 video. During the event we screened Invisible Children’s follow-up video, and a panel of speakers including Invisible Children representatives answered questions and discussed the role of socially conscious activism.

On April 12 ASA members joined to enjoy music, dancing and pizza as we painted the rock for the first time in the organization’s history. On April 20th ASA volunteered at Sunlight Community Center and partipated in arts & craft activities with the kids during their after-school program. We created African masks and discussed Afri-can pride with some energetic and truly amazing children. Our month ended with even more energy and Af-rican culture with Africa in Motion: Dance Workshop & Exhibition, held on the 29th. With a performance by Af-roDescent- Loyola University’s African Dance Team- as well as a lesson from Chicago performer and choreographer

Words About ASAOn behalf of the recently elected executive board of the African Students Association, I welcome you to our commu-nity and thank you for your support during an amazing spring quarter. In April, we hosted Africa Awareness Month. Living up to our theme of “Rise of the African Youth”, the month featured several events that showcased our pride and passion for the continent of Africa through dance, discussion, and even by painting the rock. We also hosted Africafé in May, and honored the seniors that have contributed to ASA during their years at Northwestern. Words can’t de-scribe how much we appreciate our seniors, as our student organization wouldn’t be where it is today without them!

With that in mind, the current executive board is committed to making ASA better than ever and to further building a welcoming group that fosters a constant awareness of and passion for Africa. We hope you join us along the way, whether it be at our future general meetings, African party, or Afropollo in the Fall.

Sincerely,Michelle Byamugisha

Philanthropy:

Sunlight African

Community Center

THE EXECUTIVE BOARDMichelle Byamugisha - PresidentAmanda Anumba - Vice PresidentDiamanta Panford - Parliamentarian/ASG SenatorGina Nchekwube - Co-Creative DirectorCrystal Lennix - Co-Creative DirectorKevin Poku - Director of MarketingBecca Abara - Philanthropy ChairTrey Chanel Gibson - HistorianPleshette Strong - AmbassadorVanessa Lecky - Secretary

Coming up for ASAHere are some events to look out for when we return to NU this fall:

Africafé/Café Noir A joint venture with AATE, this performance night and open mic is

bound to be just as exciting as the last Africafé.

AfropolloIt’s showtime at Afropollo! Get ready to watch fellow Northwestern students compete for a grand prize while they try to avoid getting

booed off the stage .

Africafé & Senior Appreciation Night

On May 23, nearly 100 people came out to local cafe JJ Java for our annual Africafé showcase. Our emcee for the evening, Philanthropy Chair Becca Abara, kept the crowd alive and entertained throughout the night. More than 10 performers took the stage-- some for the first time ever-- to rap, sing, read poetry and everything in between. So many people had words to say in response to our recent movement for increased diversity on campus, and others just had so much to say about life in general. During the show we took time to honor seniors who have contributed to ASA throughout their years at Northwestern. We’re so appreciative of everything they’ve done, and we wish them the best during their post-graduate endeavors! After the scheduled acts were done performing we opened the floor for anyone who wanted to participate in our open mic; there were so many people who wanted to perform that we didn’t even have time to see

ASA is a proud partner with Sunlight African Community Center in Chicago, IL. This community center provides a safe-haven for first and second genera-tion African students who may need additional help with tutoring or a fun and stimulating environment to engage in. Located on Broadway in Uptown Chi-cago, Sunlight has taken care of hundreds of young African children in the area for over 20+ years, and continues to provide exceptional service. ASA is proud to help them continue on their mission to impact the lives of young Africans.

asanorthwestern@gmail.com | @asanorthwestern